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It's definitely award season in MLS and as we await the official MLS awards(#VoteForTesho), we thought it'd be fun here at FCDallas.com for those of us who bring you content throughout the year to give you each of our picks for FC Dallas awards in 2014. We've got seven awards and we're going to split them into two parts.

Here are your esteemed panelists(Scott & Aaron not featured in the photo):

Olivia Brestal - Graphic Design Coordinator: Olivia is responsible for all those fancy GIFs you see on Twitter. She was also the brains behind those #VoteForTesho graphics and this.

Scott Brown - Managing Editor of Digital Properties: One half of your Toyota Keys to the Match crew, Scott has been keeping his watchful eye over the team this season from high above in the Toyota Stadium press box. And he has a NWO-style Hollywood Hulk Hogan bobblehead at his desk. Respect.

Robert Casner - Marketing Manager: Formerly known as @FCDallasBeatGuy, Robert is one of the puppeteers behind the game presentation, awesome community tours and cool promotions FCD puts on. He loves FC Dallas, Alexis Sanchez and Ole Miss.

Aaron Griffin - Multimedia Manager: The third half of the TKTTM crew, Aaron is the one behind the camera and the brains that run FCDTV. He is the 2014 FCD Front Office Super Classico Goal of the Year winner, so he knows a thing or two about the beautiful game.

Daniel Robertson - Digital Content Coordinator: The other half of the TKTTM crew, Daniel(who loves to speak in third person) is both the self-proclaimed Instagram video king of MLS digital and the worst prognosticator in the history of MLS digital.

Let's do this.

2014 Team MVP

Scott B: Matt Hedges – Pareja has made a lot of great decisions for FC Dallas this year, and giving the armband to Matt is right up there with the best of them. Hedges continues to improve year-after-year. It’s kinda mind-blowing that he’s never received a national team call-up at any level. Don’t be surprised if that changes come January.

Daniel R: Matt Hedges - Through the first half of the season, Fabian Castillo would probably get the nod, but Hedges has simply been ever-present for FCD this year. Above all else, you want to have your defense in order and Hedges only solidified the award with his play in the playoff series against Seattle. January camp, Klinsi. Make it happen.

Robert C: Matt Hedges - Paging Coach Klinsmann! Hedges has improved drastically in each of his first three years and in 2014 he showed how valuable he is to this team. He wins headers, sniffs out passes before they happen, and organizes everyone in front of him. He got the captain’s band in the middle of the season and never looked back. I know what I’m thankful this holiday season….Matty freakin Hedges!

Aaron G: Matt Hedges - Captain and heart of our backline, to shut down Seattle in the playoffs is saying a lot. We are still waiting for the call up Jurgen…

Olivia B: Matt Hedges – My explanation for this choice is going to be as short as the amount of time attackers had on the ball when Hedges was on the scene – and because I don’t have enough time to write out all my reasonings AND call Jurgen Klinsmann.

U-23 Player of the Year

RC: Victor Ulloa - Vic came into preseason without a guaranteed contract and finished the 2014 season locked down in the central midfield position with 26 starts. The Wylie native and quickly-rising fan favorite displayed patience in his ball distribution and a maturity level that will make him a mainstay on the field in 2015.

OB: Fabian Castillo – see below.

SB: Fabian Castillo – This might be the toughest one to pick on a team that’s so stacked with young talent, but this one has to go to Fabi. He checked in at third on MLSsoccer.com’s 24 Under 24 this year, but Castillo was definitely FCD’s best player under 23 in 2014.

DR: Fabian Castillo - Before I explain this one, let me note that in 2014 FCD could've put together a U-23 team that could absolutely compete in MLS and that's pretty ridiculous. I went back and forth on this one as there are three or even four players that deserve serious consideration for this one, but I had to go with Fabi. He took the step forward in 2014 that we were all hoping and expecting. In 31 combined MLS & LHUSOC games, Fabian had 14 goals and 7 assists including his incredible ten-game streak with a goal or an asisst through the summer.

AG: Victor Ulloa - Started from the bottom now he’s here.

Unsung Hero

RC: Je-Vaughn Watson - Call him the ultimate utility player. Midfield, defense, it doesn’t matter where you put Je-Vaughn he’ll use his physical nature and ridiculous speed to make the position work. At right back, Watson ran with the fastest wingers and then hauled back down the other end to assist the powerful FC Dallas counterattack. He wasn’t always the center of attention on the field, but his efforts on both sides of the ball haven’t gone unnoticed.

SB: Victor Ulloa – The Ballad of Victor Ulloa isn’t quite as unsung as it was just a few weeks ago (Examples here, here and here). After getting his opportunity through injuries and suspensions in the defensive midfield Victor came seemingly out of nowhere (zero starts in 2011-13, 26 starts in 2014) to become arguably the best FC Dallas Homegrown product to date.

AG: Moises Hernandez – More often than not, he was at the right place at the right time.

DR: Chris Seitz - His heroic deeds off the field are well-documented, but in 2014 Seitz proved that he won't simply be known for that selfless act. Chris had his best year as a professional showing FC Dallas has a bevy of legitimate MLS starting-caliber goalkeepers on the roster posting a 10-4-4 record in MLS, playoffs and LHUSOC play with four shutouts. In fact, since the start of 2013, Seitz is 16-7-6 in MLS, playoffs and USOC play. Very, very impressive. Huge honorable mention goes to Je-Vaughn Watson who finished second on the team in minutes played this year.

OB: Victor Ulloa – When he came in for a banged up midfield mid-season, people assumed they’d get the hesitant play of a young homegrown, but what they got was Shutdown Central: Party of 1. Plus anyone who gets in a mini WWE smackdown with Clint Dempsey in the Western Conference Semifinals – and wins – is an unsung hero in my book.

Stay tuned next week for part 2 of our awards featuring best defender, most improved & more!

The first big step towards the 2015 season takes place today as MLS holds the Chivas USA Dispersal Draft. Through a bit of good fortune, FC Dallas holds the top spot meaning we have first choice at Chivas USA players(minus Erick Torres). MLSsoccer.com has an excellent look at the Chivas USA roster, so be sure to take a look at that as well before today's 3:00PM central time draft held by private conference call.

Let's take a look at the different directions Oscar Pareja, Fernando Clavijo and the FCD technical staff can go with this one.

The best player

There's a train of thought in sports that in any draft you take the best player available regardless of position and there's certainly plenty of merit in that line of thinking. You assemble a squad with the best collection of talent and work the pieces out later because something ALWAYS goes wrong(though Oscar Pareja seems to always turn these into positives).

If you go with the best player theory, then the choice is very likely to be Dan Kennedy. Still just 32 years old, relatively young for a goalkeeper, Kennedy has been the face of Chivas USA for the past half-decade. The all-time leader in appearances for the franchise, the UCSB graduate has missed only eight games in the past four seasons and has averaged over six shutouts a season in that time span.

Yes, FC Dallas already has two starting-level goalkeepers and a strong future prospect in Jesse Gonzalez, but adding someone as talented as Kennedy gives you a lot of options going forward with a long time between now and March 2015 to work everything out.

The youngster(s)

Oscar Pareja has shown with his quotes and actions that he's not afraid to play young players and it's something he embraces. If FCD wants to add yet another young hotshot to the roster, then Chivas USA has some nice ones to choose from. Midfielder Marco Delgado is still just 19 and has already amassed 37 appearances in MLS including three goals, one of which was scored at Toyota Stadium this year.

There are certainly red flags with Delgado as he has the dreaded "no defined postion" label on him and underwent season-ending knee surgery in September, but he's still a US U-20 mainstay and a hugely talented player.

Another young and interesting prospect is forward Caleb Calvert. The 6-2 California native dominated the US Soccer Development Academy earning a Homegrown contract with Chivas USA. He just turned 18 and has a very bright future if FCD wants to go that route.

Despite their record, though it wasn't as bad as some may think, Chivas USA certainly has some nice, solid veterans that could help any MLS team. FC Dallas fans will be very familiar with winger Marvin Chavez who had a fantastic run with the team through the 2010 MLS Cup season, and you'd think he could still certainly play a role with the team who utilizes their wingers more than most.

If FC Dallas is looking for a backup to Mauro Diaz, Martin Rivero isn't a bad place to look. The 25-year-old Argentine was brought to MLS in Oscar Pareja's first season in Colorado so there's certainly a familiarity there, and he's been up and down in MLS but did have eight assists in that first season. He's coming off an ACL tear in July, but at 25 there's certainly plenty of talent left in those legs.

FCD could upgrade their defensive depth by adding Bobby Burling, a 30-year-old center back with over 100 MLS games to his name. He likely wouldn't unseat any of FCD's incumbent center backs, but could add some solid, veteran depth to the back line.

The wild cards

There's two offensive names that intrigue me on Chivas USA. Argentine winger Leandro Barrera is the first one. Just 23 years old, Barrera can play anywhere up and down the left side of the field and he brings a speedy spark off the bench that Oscar Pareja would love. He played over 2,000 minutes with Chivas USA this year, joining them from the Argentine First Division and certainly had some bright moments on a team that really struggled for offense. Put him in with this FC Dallas team and you could see him doing very well.

The other interesting name is Tommy McNamara. The name on everyone's lips for rookie of the year through the first month of the season, McNamara started the first six games of his rookie year before tearing his ACL. He was extremely active as a withdrawn forward/attacking midfielder, scored a goal on his MLS debut and was a player everyone was talking about before his injury. Only 23 years old, he's a player that could end up being a steal for someone....and that haircut, yes.

We've had some time to process things and it's time to come to the sad realization that the 2014 season is over. It was an incredible season, but it has sadly come to an end.

Fear not, however! Planning and roster building for the 2015 season begins almost immediately. Here's a rundown of what to expect over the next six weeks as we head towards 2015:

NCAA College Scouting - Now through December 12

It's the business end of the college soccer season as conference tournaments take place across the country this weekend before the NCAA tournament. Not only will the FCD coaching staff be looking at players they could potentially select in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, but they'll also have an eye on potential future FC Dallas Homegrown signings like Boyd Okwuono at North Carolina and Mikey Ambrose at Maryland. Stay tuned as we'll have plenty of info coming up in the next couple days on how our academy alumni are doing as NCAA soccer hits tournament time.

Chivas USA Dispersal Draft - Wednesday, November 19

Sadly, Chivas USA is no more in MLS and while LAFC will be taking their place in a few years, the task to allocate Chivas USA's players will be settled next Wednesday with a dispersal draft. CLICK HERE to read the full information on the draft. We will know the order on Friday and there is certainly a chance that FCD could add a player through this mechanism. It is important to note that any player added must have his 2015 contract option exercised, so it is doubtful that too many players will be selected, but given the fact that Chivas USA had 11 players age 23 or younger on their roster, there is certainly a chance FCD adds one of Chivas USA's former players.

MLS Cup Final - Sunday, December 7

Yeah, yeah I know it's a little tougher to watch when FCD could easily be in it, but c'mon it's the league's championship game. Will Landon Donovan go out on top? Can New England, New York or Seattle achieve their first championship in league history?

Half-day Trade window - Monday, December 8

Immediately after the season ends, the wheeling and dealing begins. MLS is opening a half-day trade window on Monday, December 8 for teams to make moves before the Expansion Draft. You wouldn't expect much but could see trades made with NYCFC or Orlando City before the Expansion Draft.

MLS Expansion Draft - Wednesday, December 10

This is a big one. With New York City FC & Orlando City FC coming into the league in 2015, that means one of the dreaded expansion drafts. We will discuss the rules in much more detail as we get closer to the date, but teams are allowed to protect 11 players plus their Homegrowns and can lose as many as one player to each team.

That's the FC Dallas radar from now until the end of the year. There is also the MLS Draft Combine and MLS Superdraft on January 15 before preseason 2015 gets going in late January. It'll be here before you know it!

For those not familiar with the MLS Cup playoff format, the top five teams in each conference make the playoffs.

Fourth place hosts fifth place in a one-game wild card playoff with the winner playing the top seed in a two-leg semifinal while second will play third also in a two-leg playoff. The two-leg playoff rounds will feature home games at both stadiums and whoever has the highest combined score will advance. The lower seed will host the first game while the higher seed will host the second match.

The winners of the semifinals will play each other in a two-leg conference final and the winners of the conference finals will play in the one-game MLS Cup played at the home of the remaining team with the most points earned in the regular season.

Just two weekends remain in the MLS regular season. Can you believe it? FC Dallas clinched the playoffs with last week's heart-stopping win over Los Angeles and now they turn their sights to earning the #3 seed which would ensure not having to play in the 4th vs 5th wild card game. Here's the playoff breakdown:

The Sounders surprisingly fell to Vancouver at home, a result that puts their Supporters Shield aspirations very much in doubt. They end the season with back-to-back games against LA and will clinch the Shield with a win in either match.

The Galaxy lost their first game of the season after scoring first in a 2-1 loss at FCD on Sunday. It was really a missed opportunity with Seattle having lost earlier in the weekend. They'll host the Sounders on Sunday and need four points from their two games against Seattle to clinch the Shield.

Jeff Cassar's side stopped a slide with a much-needed win against San Jose at home on Saturday. They've got a tricky test at Portland on Friday night and need a win to keep off hard-charging FCD and stay in control of their own destiny in the race for the third seed.

FC Dallas got a huge win against Los Angeles that took a ton of pressure off Oscar Pareja's side. They need one point to clinch a home playoff game and could leapfrog RSL for the third spot, though they'll need to ensure three points against a Colorado team that hasn't won since July. **NOTE** The first tiebreaker is wins and FC Dallas currently has one more than RSL with 15, so a tie in the standings would see FCD jump RSL.

The Whitecaps scored another hugely impressive result winning at Seattle last weekend to stay above Portland for the final playoff spot. The Whitecaps have their toughest test left on Saturday with a tricky trip to San Jose. Two wins from their final two will ensure a playoff spot for Carl Robinson's side.

Caleb Porter's men easily dispatched San Jose 3-0 to keep pace with Vancouver for the final playoff spot. They have a tough test against RSL on Friday before finishing the season at FC Dallas. Things look pretty difficult for the Timbers when you compare schedules between the two sides but Porter's side has shown amazing resiliency.

FCD PLAYOFF SCENARIOS:

FC Dallas will clinch a home playoff game if:

-Vancouver fails to defeat San Jose

-FC Dallas wins or draws at Colorado

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY:

If there were no games left and we were looking forward to the start of the playoffs, here are the current matchups:

The Sounders won their second straight, throttling a hapless Colorado Rapids team that hasn't won in quite a long time. Seattle ends the season with three toughies, starting with Vancouver this weekend and two games against Los Angeles.

Los Angeles rolled along again last weekend beating Toronto FC handily at the StubHub Center. There's no doubt the Galaxy are incredibly formidable at home, but they'll have two tough road tests to end the year with FCD and Seattle. They'll play this weekend at FCD without at least Robbie Keane and Marcelo Sarvas while Omar Gonzalez is also a question mark.

Is it time to panic in Sandy, Utah? A shock 1-0 loss at Chivas USA has Jeff Cassar's side on a bit of a dip. A win against Chivas would've propeled RSL into an almost insurmountable lead for the 3rd place spot, but now things are wide open especially considering RSL will be missing five players on international duty this week.

It wasn't a good weekend for Dallas who not only lost by a two-goal margin for just the second time this season, but saw Portland come back to win in San Jose nixing any playoff clinching hopes. However, the last three games are all manageable for Dallas with two home games and a road game at Colorado. Three wins could see Dallas jump into third place. They'll clinch with a Portland loss on Wednesday or a win on Sunday against Los Angeles.

Another HUGE home win for Vancouver against FCD to keep pace for the fifth and final playoff spot, but the Whitecaps aren't even remotely out of the woods. Two road games out of three remaining for Vancouver who has been poor on the road this season. Still, they're in with a shot.

A gift from the heavens brought Portland back from the brink of elimination, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 at San Jose. They'll face the Quakes again tonight and desperately need to put their home woes behind themselves with a win as their last two matches are against RSL and FCD.